


Maiden Speech

by Aoife



Category: Erskine May, Hansard - Parliamentary Debates in Britain, The Honourable Woman
Genre: Art: Zentangle, Character Study, Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-25
Updated: 2015-02-25
Packaged: 2018-03-15 04:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3434441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aoife/pseuds/Aoife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short, slightly introspective Nessa piece, set on the benches of the Lords.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maiden Speech

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Venturous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Venturous/gifts).



The sands claw at the edge of her consciousness, even as she stands and attempts to catch the attention of the Lord Speaker, and she dismisses the fragments of Arabic on the edge of her hearing as auditory hallucinations - there are only eight muslim members of the house of lords at present, and the only two whom she _knows_ speak Arabic sit across the chamber from her, and both have Pakistani accents to their Arabic. 

The red benches are full to bursting, and there are peers standing in the walkways clutching copies of the agenda , but she will get to speak; no one here would deny her that dubious honor, given the subject they all debate today.

She knows how eager some of her peers are to trip her up, to make her say something that the media will use to rip her to shreds on the subject of Israel and Palestine; whilst others genuinely want to hear her justifications for recent events -

\- the Lord Speaker's head twitches ever so slightly in her direction, and she shoots to her feet, before someone else can take advantage of the opening.

"My Lords, I thank the noble Lord Speaker for surprising me, and I hope that noble Lords will indulge me as I rise to make my maiden speech in your Lordships’ House. I was given two pieces of advice about today. I was told, first, to ensure that I used language that was appropriate for your Lordships’ House. I would remind noble Lords that, as the daughter of an Anglo-Israeli family, that English was never my primary-and-sole language; but today I will certainly try to follow that advice. Secondly, I was told to remain non-controversial. As those who know me will know, on this rule I will have to try much harder -." 

The chamber shushed abruptly, and disconcertingly.

"- I have been an outspoken campaigner on the Israel-Palestine conflict for the best part of the last decade ..."

**Author's Note:**

> And the graphic for today is a zentangle.


End file.
